Important Reads for RSS

CRIMES OF INTIMIDATION-With all the current stories about endemic sexual harassment in the entertainment industry from the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Bill O'Reilly, and others, I find it surprising that one critical point is never discussed in the media: What Weinstein, O'Reilly, and others have engaged in has little to do with sex and everything to do with criminal assault, battery, and other crimes of intimidation by men with profound feelings of inadequacy.

POLITICS--Democrats are fighting again. The trigger this time is former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile’s forthcoming book, which says that Hillary Clinton’s campaign was given significant control over the DNC long before she became the party’s nominee.

DEMS NOMINATION PROCESS RIGGED---In an explosive and "deeply disturbing" piece for PoliticoMagazine on Thursday, former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Donna Brazile drew upon her brief experience at the organization's helm to reveal the extent to which the 2016 nomination process was "rigged" in favor of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

NEW GEOGRAPHY-“Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.” — Arnold J. Toynbee. From the heart of Europe to North America, nativism, sometimes tinged by white nationalist extremism, is on the rise. In recent elections, parties identified, sometimes correctly, as alt-right have made serious gains in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, pushing even centrist parties in their direction. The election of Donald Trump can also be part of this movement.

PER DAILY-Probably the greatest mistake made today in liberal and progressive thought and in the political opposition to Trumpism is believing that, in the end, truth will out. Nothing could be less true. More and more, a dominant narrative composed of alternative facts (aka fake news) has supplanted the truth. In our present-day reality, truth is often labeled fake news by those unwilling to hear it.

MY TURN-I freely admit that I am a news junkie and have been most of my life. I also admit I am becoming increasingly bored with many of my favorite newscasters, panels and opinion makers. It feels like every other story or expert panel is about President Donald J. Trump. So, maybe he has given an economic boost to both print and digital media... but when is enough enough?